Title:  Wide Bandgap Electrostatic Energy Harvesting Power Stage

Committee: 

Dr. Hunt, Advisor

Dr. Doolittle, Chair

Dr. Kenney

Abstract:

The objective of the proposed research is to demonstrate that the use of gallium nitride transistors within the power stage of an electrostatic energy harvesters power stage can increase the amount of energy harvested per vibration period. All research to date for electrostatic energy harvesters have used silicon based complementary metal oxide semiconductors. The research to date has demonstrated that the larger the potential initially applied to the electrostatic energy harvester, which consists of a variable capacitor with one electrode that floats, the more energy is converted from the mechanical domain to the electrical. In fact, the energy harvested is proportional to the square of the voltage. Thus far the greatest limiting factor upon the power stage has been the breakdown voltage of the silicon based transistors. Gallium nitride transistors naturally have larger breakdown voltages than their silicon based counterparts. By making use of gallium nitride transistors the breakdown voltage of the system is increased enabling greater harvesting. In addition, to the increase in energy harvested some of the losses are decreased as a result of the gallium nitride transistor design.